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Lots of conjecture incoming:
I've asked myself this same question, and coming from a military background rather than anything more typical, I think it coalesces as something altogether different depending on the situation.
When I was stuck on a ship with hundreds of others, underway two or three weeks out of every month, 6 to 8 month deployments sprinkled in just for fun... Hard not to come out of a situation like that with some lifelong friendships.
On the other hand, in the years when I wasn't on a ship, almost regardless of the work, even if we were friendly during the day, when the time came to go home it was like cockroaches when the lights come on.
I've come to the conclusion all these years later that it was some combination of shared hardship, forced closeness, security in employment, and a core belief that we were all working toward the same goal. We were in it together, and it felt like it.
Social relationships come from everywhere, even work, and while there are many people who worry that friendships at work will distract from... I don't know... There are still plenty of people out there who want to make the day go by a little faster by working with a friend.
Maybe it just comes down to people not being committed to their work, because why would you be? Sticking your neck out, working extra, helping others, etc. are punished in a lot of different little ways, to the point that the best alternative is just to hop between jobs, staying one step ahead of accidentally giving a fuck.
DoD work (both civilian and active duty) tends to bind people together a lot more than other industries, in no small part due to the factors you mentioned, but also because a) the additional barriers of national security/clearance work make it only really possible to vent about work to coworkers/friends from work, b) the work can often be unique enough that only coworkers have shared experiences to bond over and empathize with, and c) the civilian side of the DoD tends to attract career folks a lot more than it does transitory people. I think a disproportionate amount (when compared to private industry) of civilians who hire into the DoD stay in federal service for their whole careers. And people sticking around their whole careers tend to invest more in personal and professional relationships in the workplace, because networking is how you get opportunities, and you never know who you might owe a favor some day (or who might owe you one).
Spot on. This lack of secure employment (and yes, also probably lack of sense of purpose) also undermines the social relationships necessary to collectively bargain (with a union or not) for better working conditions. When workers don’t feel they have each other’s back, they are less likely to pressure an employer for better pay and conditions.
This is a pretty insightful comment.
This seems to explain why people who work in restaurants can often be close. There's the shared hardship of dealing with a dinner rush, there's a lot of forced closeness in the kitchen, and everybody's working towards the same goal, whether that's just getting through the shift, or trying to produce a really amazing dining experience.
There's probably another one: depending on other people who work right next to you. If you're working alongside other people but everybody's working on their own project it's going to be different than if you depend directly on the person next to you for whatever you're doing.
I think it's the lack of all the things you mentioned. At an office job the hardship is pretty mild other than occasional "crunch time". There's some forced closeness, especially when people are crammed into an open-style office. But, I don't think that's the same kind of closeness you get in kitchen, or on a ship, or in a factory. You may be working towards the same goal, but it's often a nebulous and distant goal. And, often, the goal isn't something that feels particularly meaningful. You're helping ship a product that may or may not be vaguely useful to some customers you'll probably never meet.
But, I think the big thing is the lack of security. In the military you literally can't leave, and unless you do something insane you're not going to get fired. At most jobs, it's extremely easy to leave, and many people feel like they're always on the edge of being fired or laid off.
So I went through fire academy in a trade school. We had a small class of 12 and months of mutual challenges. Learning how to get gear on, buddy checks, doing search and rescue searches crawling around blindfolded. Then doing live fire training in an old abanodoned house the academy bought for us, cutting open cars etc. It was the closest "Band of Brothers" feeling I've ever had with a group.
In the military it's similar but not as intense imo. Still being with the same group with the same goal forms bonds and friendships. After going to your usit we mostly do the same thing as everyone else. Clock in and clock out trying to get shit done asap to maximize free time, but we still have spent deployments and tdys together. We give a shit about the big picture when it counts (large operations, helping Ukraine etc) but on the daily we mostly just try to help each other get through the day but it's not totally friends centered. Bottom line is still that we're all here to do a job, but that doesn't mean you have to be socially isolated.